This review exclusively addresses material systems primarily based on poly (vinyl-alcohol) (PVA), one of the most popular water soluble biopolymers, for their use in packaging applications with the primary objective of reducing petro-based plastic waste. In addition, some typical PVA blends and nanocomposites are discussed as comparative studies for material packaging. Structural characteristics, mechanical, thermal and barrier properties, in addition to biodegradation of these multiple material systems, are summarised in a systematic manner.Finally, associated fabrication processing methods together with the most popular theoretical models used for the permeability of PVA nanocomposites are also reviewed in detail.
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